Taking a look at the updated 2017 ACC Tournament bracket after the first round games were played on Tuesday
One of the main events of Championship Week, the 2017 ACC Tournament tipped off on Tuesday afternoon from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The first round didn’t feature many of the heavy-hitters that are best-known for dominating the ACC, but did feature some quality teams with upsets and a potential NCAA Tournament berth on their mind.
First on the docket in Brooklyn was the Clemson Tigers facing the NC State Wolfpack in the 12-13 matchup of the ACC Tournament. Though the Wolfpack may have had the best player on the floor in Dennis Smith Jr., the super freshman didn’t show up. Subsequently, an experienced Clemson team was able to assert themselves early and hold on to advance.
After the court had cleared from the first matchup, it was the Wake Forest Demon Deacons squaring off with an ailing Boston College Golden Eagles squad in the 10-15 matchup. Though it’s never pretty with the Deacs, they took control near the end of the first half and Boston College didn’t have an adequate response.
To cap off the first day of the ACC Tournament, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets took on the Pittsburgh Panthers in the 11-14 matchup. Though they were the higher seed, the Yellow Jackets came out as flat as you could imagine. They allowed the Panthers to jump out to an early lead and they couldn’t recover as the first upset—however minor—of the tourney went down.
So what’s next in Brooklyn? Here’s a look at the updated 2017 ACC Tournament bracket following the first round:
We still won’t get to see the top-four seeds in the 2017 ACC Tournament just yet, but the action is certainly about to heat up in the second round.
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Syracuse-Miami is obviously a matchup to watch, though unaffected by Tuesday’s results. However, inconsistency has plagued the likes of Duke, Virginia Tech and Virginia all season. Even as the higher seeds, they have to be on alert for a tough game against opponents that might now be in a rhythm.